Filed under: Uncategorized
I was watching Law and Order SVU, as I enjoy to do, and the episode was about a 13-year-old boy who raped other children. However, he claimed not to believe what he was doing was wrong because he saw it on television. He watched cable television series where sex was a major theme. After people had sex on these shows, they were respected and “cool”. To him, sex was just a set of rules to follow, objections and all.
This boy’s defense was that since the media saturated the airwaves with such content, that they are responsible for the boy’s actions. His attorney argued that the boy thought that this type of conduct was normal and how adults acted, and he wanted to be an adult.
Although, this is just a fictional television series, it raises some questions? Could a case like this occur? Could the media be blamed for the actions of others?
Filed under: Uncategorized
So, I was reading the news today and it was pretty out there. First there was a story about the 400 children that need lawyers in Texas. There was a religious sect in Texas where polygamy was the name of the game. Law enforcement was called in and they had to remove the children due to allegations of sexual assault.
Next there was the story about the 12 year old boy who killed his grandparents and said it was due to his use of Zoloft. The Supreme Court refused to hear his case.
These sorts of stories seem like that of the “freak-show” variety, however, that is what the American public is consuming. That is why the oddity factor is so main stream in today’s society.
So, I just logged into WordPress and I was greeted by a new layout and set up. My opinion on it is undecided. I never thought I would be that type of blogger than writes about a web page changing it’s lay out. But hey, I thought it brought up some interesting concepts.
I don’t know about you all, but sometimes I really don’t like changing of a website I’ve visited for a while. I know it’s how they grow and evolve, but I get comfortable with one. I personally do not feel attached, however some users may.
The website that has changed it’s set up is one beloved by many, PostSecret. For those of you who have not visited PostSecret, it’s a online posting of post cards sent to Frank Warren of Maryland. Each week Frank puts up from 15 to 25 post cards that are anonymously submitted.
Recently PostSecret has expanded. It has introduced PostSecret Community which is where anyone can upload audio secrets, their own post cards, video secrets. Frank now also links to PostSecret Germany, France, and Spain.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I went to Washington D.C. this past weekend. It was phenomenal. The cherry blossoms were out and it was nice and warm. It was great break from the everyday of Lawrenceville. It gave me time to stop and really take a breath. So I am not so stressed about internships. I’m going to email a contact at the YMCA and see if he needs help over the summer. I got a sweet room for next year, things are looking up.
All for now,
me
I feel like I am grinding my teeth away, but that’s all part of the rat race right?! I am looking for internships, preferably in the pharmaceutical or corporate field. However, this process is becoming increasing frustrating. I’ve looked everywhere from Johnson and Johnson to Merck to La Roche to Bristol-Meyer Squibb. They aren’t too helpful with the web layout, plus they only have the summer 08 internships up.
As a student, I have to balance a full class load, as well as being involved in several campus activities as well as having a job. I figured that adding searching for an internship to the list would not be a huge amount of stress in the mix of it all. With the job field as competitive as it is today, one can never be too prepared. I’m just hoping that someone wants to prepare me. Haha.
So that is my current struggle, but in happier news I am heading to Washington D.C. with my great boyfriend and we’re going to do the tourist thing. Relax for a bit, you know the drill.
Well friends,
All for now,
me
Hi all,
So I am very happy, not only has my mom started writing on her blog, but she is learning how to use her MySpace. I set it up for her on Tuesday. She is now talking to a woman from Ohio and has sold a book to her. My mom can’t believe how fast things are moving. Monday night she didn’t know much about this technology, and two days ago she made a sale off of it.
I can really see how David Meerman Scott used the Internet and its resources to his advantage. Blogs and MySpace are free, all you have to do is put the time into it. I knew the Internet could be used for grass-root campaigns. However I think until I actually helped set up a very simple Internet campaign, I didn’t understand how much the internet can really effect one.
So now my mom boasts that she can speak 4 languages: English, German, Animal, and basic Internet. But the Internet is a completely different language for her. While I am learning in school how to blog, directly target consumers, and track the progress of an online campaign, my mom is working 7am to 6pm and later in the night if there are baby animals on a bottle or a girl scout group wants her to speak for their annual awards dinner. She has to learn all this on top of working, house-like chores, being a wife and mother.
Kudos to all the women (and men, sorry my feminism is showing) who are tackling this new, intense, and often confusing form of communication.
Be excellent to one another,
Jackie
Ello All!
So this week is going by. I have a dinner date tonight with Jess, last year’s president of Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood. I love Vox, and have been on the exec board since freshman year. So seeing her will be nice.
Last night I was thinking about how great the Internet is at connecting. You can find almost anyone. When you want college kids, you go to Facebook. Vox is a nation wide organization, so many many colleges and universities have a Vox. I wanted to connect them.
So with a little research, evidently there is an amplifier named VOX, I tracked down a lot of the presidents of the organizations through Facebook. I sent a message asking them to join the new global Vox facebook group. From last night to about 2 minutes ago 20 people joined! Now granted, there are groups with a much larger membership, but still 20 people for one niche cause in less than 24 hours, I am ecstatic! If you want to find out more about Rider Vox you can come to the meetings on Wednesday at 10 in Memorial 114 or check us out of Facebook.
peace.love.choice.
me
So, after a rousing Vox event in Olson B Lounge (condom hunt and sex trivia, you all missed out haha), I find my self on google reader. Man did I never see that one coming. When I first heard about it in class, not one of the most interesting things. But then I really thought about it, and google reader is like the internet on crack. Ok not really, but it’s the antithesis of the internet. Everything you want at your finger tips, totally personalized to you. I am surprised google has not sold out and is selling all those google reader rss feed subscriptions to “researchers”.
This week has gone by fast, exams and canceling a class for myself, you know the life of a college student. I had a great lunch with my mom on Tuesday. She made the two hour journey down from Sussex County, in the sticks of up state NJ. We had a great lunch (Chinese food), and an even better conversation.
It started out with normal mom stuff, washing behind my ears, my boyfriend, school. Then it went to our professional lives. Well my mom, she’s a lady of many talents and truly a “jack of all trades”. She is zoo keeper, specializing in pediatric care (aka she gets to take care of baby lions), she is the main PR person at the zoo, she’s an author, an artist. Hell, she makes clothes and cooks too. As you can tell I’m a huge fan of my mom, best friends and such.
Anyway, I introduced her to the concept of blogging, and told her how great it would be, especially for her book, The Zoo Keeper’s Daughter. I told her how she can target those who would be interested in the book. Since she has a website where people can buy books, the sky’s the limit. She secretly confessed that she was nervous about blogging. What if she said the wrong thing, or people wouldn’t read what she wrote? I told her you have to be aggressive with blogging, comment on animal lovers blogs, make friends with other zoo keepers. The internet is vast, there has to be a blog ring for zookeepers.
So she’s going to set one up. Her technological skills drive in the right most lane on the highway if you know what I mean. Therefor blogging is a huge step for her, as it was for our class.
Inspiration is my middle name… as is Renee.
Below is my family, well my mom with 5 baby tigers, me with Yankee, a lion cub, and my dad with Khyber and Tara (the 5 tiger’s parents)
Filed under: Language
Man, it seems like Rupert Murdoch wants a piece of everything. MySpace, now a bit of the Yahoo pie. Can he want me?! I don’t know, I’d make a good adoptive daughter. But this week, I thought class was really interesting. I know that when black and white issues come up, you’re usually told to take the “other side”. But usually the class just fights and nothing is ever accomplished. For the abortion topic, we actually did discuss possible campaign ideas, pro-lifey ones, and came up with a couple good concepts.
What I have always believe, and it is further illustrated by this assignment, is that language is key when dealing with the public. One really must know their audience, and the key words and phrases that the audience expects. You wouldn’t talk to the NRA and use wording like “killer guns” “greedy fire arms industry” and so on. Just like you wouldn’t use the words “murder” and “baby” at a pro-choice gathering. Of course there are exceptions to this idea. If you are trying to illustrate a point, usually about the opposing view, then yes you may use them. Context. Context. Context.
Filed under: PR
Tipping on the Internet, now that is something I think could be easily accomplished. With tipping, you’re trying to turn something that is not well known into a major trend. I think the way one would apply it to the Internet would be a little different. Of course one will still have know what audiences to target first to really make something tip.
Using the Internet to tip would have to start with Mavens. I believe that the Internet itself or the person trying to tip by using the Internet is the Connector. I label them as such because one can find tons upon tons of information about people that you want to connect with.
The Mavens, these are the people that you are going to want to give information to, because these are those who are looked to for information. I would say a popular blogger is a Maven. This is the person you’d want to inform about the trend you want to tip. Say you want to tip something technological. You’d want to contact TechCrunch, a blog that is very popular in the technology blog-sphere. Or even better, send them a sample of what you’re tipping.
In the context of the Internet, salesmen fall into a bit of ambiguity, because positive reviews from websites related to your tipping item can be as persuasive as an ad campaign. Or the placement of ads can be beneficial to the tipping of a product. The niche sites are the ones that should be focused on when dealing with the Internet. Once niche sites pick it up and embrace it, the product should spread.
I think many of the basic rules apply when tipping on the Internet, they just need to be tweaked and thought of with an open mind. As with all media, everything is evolving and definitions of traditional PR need to evolve with it.
